Although perched high along the southern face of the Grand Combin, Cabane Valsorey offers very limited view of the alps but for Mont Vélan and Mont Blanc. Nevertheless, the altitude variation of 1500m and the cabane’s location made this hike worth an effort.The hike began from Bourg St.Pierre, a little alpine mountain village, which is the last station before the Italian frontier and is 20km away from the famous Grand-Saint-Bernard pass. It was here in May 1800 Napoleon Bonaparte camped and crossed the pass to win the battle of Marengo.

The path after an hour or so of gentle ascent steered in two different directions, one leading to Cabane Valsorey and the other towards Cabane Vélan (2642m).

The trail ended abruptly at the bottom of this cliff. However, there were ladders and chains to tackle it.

Walking further, the elongated Aiguilles de Valsorey (in the background) enveloped the valley into a giant enclosure.

The green trail eventually zigzagged steep into massive rocks. Negotiating the last 500m elevation was tough, took me an hour to reach the Cabane.

Mont Vélan (3731m) along with its glacier from Cabane Valsorey.

Panoramic view of impressive range of French and Swiss alps from cabane with the massif Mont Blanc (4807m) on extreme left behind.

The descent was through the same route except I didn’t come across the cliff fixed with ladders and chains…no regrets!